Chinese New Year

Chapter 547 Guests
By October 17, the situation in Anping had generally stabilized.

The remaining troops of Liang Fuci marched south again and defeated the Wuhuan cavalry of the Qihuo Army. At one point they were less than a hundred miles away from Xindu. When they saw the Jin army's infantry and cavalry ready for battle, they had no choice but to retreat.

After the withdrawal, nearly a thousand people even deserted and went south to join Shao Xun and reunite with their families.

The remaining 5,000 people were intercepted by Su Qiu and forced to retreat to Hejian State and rely on the prefect Liu Zheng.

In order to sabotage Shi Le, Linghu Ni was appointed as the prefect of Zhangwu by the Liu Han court, and Huyan Mo was appointed as the prefect of Gaoyang, and each of them led troops to garrison in the local area.

Boling and Zhaojun were located in an area where the forces of both sides were intertwined.

To be honest, the only two counties that Shi Le could fully control were Changshan and Zhongshan. Other places either had their territories lost to the Jin army or were undercurrents, making it impossible for him to exert his full strength.

On that day, Shao Xun led his troops to leave Anping and return to Yecheng.

The battle was basically over, but not completely over, because Zhaojun Prefect You Lun was anxious to go back and fight for territory with Shi Le.

Su Qiu, the general of Lukou Town, also plundered the Hu and Han people in Boling, occupied farmland and pastures, and expanded his own strength.

The Cui family of Boling is discussing the matter of restoration.

Boling State was Wang Jun's fiefdom. Cui wanted the position of Boling Xiang (Neishi), but it involved the jurisdiction of the military town, which was rather complicated.

Shao Xun appointed Liu Anzhi, an attendant to the Imperial Secretariat, to lead several thousand garrison troops to Anping to negotiate with the Cui family and to be responsible for receiving them.

After doing all this, he set off.

On the way back, there were actually some small snowflakes falling, which made me feel quite emotional.

It was late spring when I came and early winter when I left. Half a year passed in a flash. Time flies.

Shao Xun sat in a spacious carriage, summoning one or two staff members, officers and soldiers to talk from time to time. He was busy until after lunch, when he finally had some free time.

Liu looked a little dazed.

She heard everything Shao Xun talked about with the generals, but because of this, she felt very confused.

The brother, uncle and others thought they had a good idea and raised the price, showing great greed. As a result, they missed the opportunity and made Mr. Chen very angry.

From what she heard, "having lived in a vulgar and dirty environment for a long time, you are as stupid as pigs" was Mr. Chen's comment on his brother and others.

"Pacify Shangdang and flee to a remote place" was the suggestion given by Mr. Chen in anger.

This made her very sad and angry, and she also felt a vague sense of grievance.

She felt that she had changed, became less cheerful.

Before she got married, in addition to learning literature from the people of Jin, she also practiced horse riding and archery.

After marrying Shi Le, she helped him stabilize the rear and dared to draw her sword and kill people at critical moments.

But after being captured by Shao Xun, she was more like a bullied wife, her nature was suppressed. In front of this man, she always couldn't muster up the courage, and even a little scared...

But when she was with Shi Le, she spoke and acted very naturally. She pointed out Shi Le's mistakes directly, often without mercy, but Shi Le didn't get angry.

Why is this happening?

She thought about it for a long time and finally came to a terrible conclusion: Shi Le used her family's power to accomplish his goals, so he was very polite and respectful to her, always paying attention to her thoughts and caring about her mood. He often praised her family's powerful army, brave soldiers, and how well the family business was managed.

Family members know their own business. As an ambitious woman, she would of course be very happy to hear these words, and would be more willing to help her husband and work together for the great cause.

Shi Le married her because he valued her family's power, and she married Shi Le for a higher status and greater glory. The interests of both parties were closely linked, and they respected each other in life. They were a match made in heaven.

But Shao Xun is different.

He was very rude to her. He admired her family's power, but not too much. There was a lot of contempt in his words, such as what he said today.

But he seemed to admire her appearance and figure very much. After handling official business for a period of time, he would drink tea while admiring her figure from the side and back during breaks. Occasionally, he would touch her, his eyes full of admiration for her appearance.

This made her very unhappy, but as time went on, a little bit of joy slowly grew in her heart.

This secret joy is hidden deep, but it does exist and continues to take root and sprout. It has grown a lot in two months.

She is also a woman, not always rational, and likes men to admire her looks, realizing that in addition to her family background, she also has good conditions...

"Yena, how do you think I should capture Shangdang?" Shao Xun asked, holding a map in the swaying carriage.

Liu came to her senses and said casually, "Let's take Hebei first and think about this later."

"This is a true insight." Shao Xun praised: "If you were a commander, you would be a good commander, not just a paper warrior."

Liu turned her head and looked out the window.

"Then, how do we defeat Shi Le and take over Hebei?" Shao Xun stared at the map intently, swiping his fingers back and forth, asking casually.

Liu turned around and looked at Shao Xun, with a look of embarrassment and anger on her face.

Shao Xun didn't even raise his head, but he quickly caught her expression out of the corner of his eye and thought to himself that she had made progress!

If you asked this question in the past, he would most likely be greeted with a sneer, contempt, anger, and a look of determination not to give in and not to pay any attention to you.

Now it's just embarrassing and interesting.

"Ah! I almost forgot." Shao Xun stuffed the map with the route directly to Shi Le's base into Liu's hands and hurriedly got off the carriage.

Liu took it stupidly.

The map was in her lap, held upside down, but she didn't bother to adjust it.

A thick black arrow shot down from top to bottom, piercing Changshan, the base of Shi Le.

Liu's eyes were a little dazed and her mood was a little confused.

Can Shi Le still survive? She doesn't know.

The footsteps gradually approached.

Liu came to her senses and found that the thick arrowhead was a bit ferocious, and it seemed that it was not only stabbing towards Changshan, but also...

She subconsciously closed her thighs, threw the map on the floor of the carriage, and her pretty face flushed.

The car curtain was opened, and cold wind blew in. Liu felt her face was a little hot.

Shao Xun held a white fox fur coat in his hand, and as soon as he sat down, he put it on Liu and said, "It's so cold, don't freeze to death."

Liu shuddered. Shao Xun sat down next to her, picked up another map, and studied the mountains and rivers of Shangdang without distraction.

"We still have to take our time to deal with Shangdang." Liu suddenly said, "Although my brother is greedy, he is humble and modest. Liu Cong and Liu Yao will not do anything to him. There will be opportunities in the future."

"Great!" Shao Xun put his arm around her waist and said with a smile, "Shangdang is different from other places. If your brother can make great achievements, why should I be stingy with official titles? In the future, the Liu family will surely become a prominent family, and future generations will enjoy wealth and honor."

"Don't be like this..." Liu gently broke free from Shao Xun's embrace and turned to look out the window.

There are white snowflakes outside the car and red ears inside the car, which complement each other very well.

Liu's hands subconsciously pinched the soft fox fur, her eyes confused.

******
In the wind and snow, Yecheng is right in front of us.

After entering from Yingchun Gate, the convoy crossed the entire street, then turned into Tongjue Garden and stopped in front of Bingjing Terrace.

After going up to the stage in the snow, he saw Lu Zhi saluting in the corridor from afar.

"Zidao." Shao Xun walked forward happily.

"My lord." Lu Zhi stepped into the snow with a look of joy on his face.

When his son became the prefect of Anping, he felt much better.

Mr. Chen personally invited him again, and he felt completely relieved.

The situation in Hebei Province still cannot be separated from Lu Zhi. Whether it is to appease the great families in Hebei Province or to contact Liu Kun in Jinyang, his role cannot be replaced by anyone else.

It’s great that Mr. Chen can understand this.

"My dear." Le Lanji, supported by her maid, leaned against the door and looked at him.

Shao Xun hurried over, supported Lan Ji, and blamed himself, "It was my fault for letting you travel with your body. When my son is born, he will definitely scold me."

"Who said it was a boy?" Le smiled.

"My dear." Guanqiu and Yin came forward together to pay their respects.

"You are here too?" Shao Xun was a little surprised.

"Madam sent us to serve you, young master." Guanqiu said with her head lowered.

Shao Xun understood.

Lan Ji is pregnant and it is inconvenient for her to serve.

It was also inconvenient for Yu Wenjun to come to Yecheng, so she sent two concubines over. As for why they were Guanqiu and Yin, instead of Xun and Xiao Yu, there must be a reason, but he was too lazy to figure it out.

"It's windy outside, you should go back to your room and rest first. Zidao and I have some important business to discuss." After saying that, Shao Xun and Lu Zhi went into a side hall to discuss the affairs of Hebei.

Liu hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to follow Shao Xun's words and entered the spacious bedroom.

Le Lan Ji glanced at her curiously, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then sat down with Guanqiu and Yin, chatting about their new and exciting experiences in Yecheng.

Liu Ye, the former hostess of Yecheng, sat alone in the corner, listening to them talk.

"Xuanzhu, I heard that your brother is coming to Yecheng to buy property? There is a very good piece of land in the East Market where you can build a shop." Le said.

"My brother is still in Xuchang, but he has sent people here. He made a lot of money from business last year. My brother said that Ye is a famous city in Hebei, and we should make plans as soon as possible." Guanqiu said.

Her family was in the south of the Yangtze River, but some of them had moved north, including her brother Guanqiu Lu.

As a family of concubines, Guanqiu clan established a trade route between Jiangdong, Chenjun and Xuchang, selling all kinds of goods. Last year, they earned more than 10,000 strings of cash and more than 20,000 pieces of silk.

The proceeds were divided into three parts: one for the Guanqiu family, one for Mr. Chen, and one for the Pingdong Shogunate.

"Qiniang, your brother has done a great job this time, capturing several Xiongnu officers." Le said, "He is now stationed in Fangtou. Doesn't he want to build a house in Yecheng? It will be difficult to take action if it's too late."

Yin blushed and stammered, "I have sent someone to Qi's house. I plan to buy a piece of land and build a new house after clearing the ruins."

Yin's elder brother Yin Xi brought his troops to join the army and served as deputy commander of the Zhuosheng Army. He was originally stationed in the northern city of Heyang, but has now been transferred to Fangtou.

After Chen Gong conquered Yecheng, rumors spread in Henan that he was going to build a capital in Yecheng.

Everyone is definitely against it, but despite the opposition, some people may secretly rush to buy land and houses in Yecheng to build properties. Anyway, half of the city is in ruins, and the land price is almost free, very cheap. If you rush to buy it first, you will not only spend less money, but also be able to choose any location.

The families of Shao Xun's wives and concubines were the most active.

Their interests are more closely tied together, so they are more likely to follow him.

The Henan gentry did have a consensus and agreed on some things, but in other areas, they were not united.

This is like the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty, who were surprisingly unanimous in some matters, as if they were one person or one idea, but in other aspects, due to geography, teachers and students, and even various other grievances, they also had disagreements and struggles.

This is the true face of a group. Consensus exists, and differences also exist. It is not simply black or white.

Liu listened and watched quietly.

This was her and Shi Le's bedroom.

The bed, desk, coffee table, wardrobe, etc. in the room were all selected and arranged by her personally, spending a lot of time and effort on them.

But as the former mistress, she could only sit alone in the corner at this moment, like a guest, watching carefully as Shao Xun's concubines took these things as a matter of course.

Especially that bed. She had been sleeping on it since she and Shi Le got married. But now she was going to be slept on by these women. She felt a little sad in her heart - even if she and Shao Xun slept on this bed together, it would not make her feel so uncomfortable.

Thinking of this, I was shocked.

This new thought made her feel a little ashamed.

Just then, a maid came hurriedly and said, "A guest has arrived," and invited Le to the main hall.

Le Lanji nodded, slowly stood up, and walked out the door with the help of her maid.

She knew that her husband wanted her help again.

But she is willing.

When her lover brought her back to Nanyang, watched her smile in the apricot blossom forest, and snuggled with her in her boudoir in her girlhood, she was willing to do anything.

She was willing to bear children for him and to recruit old people from the Chengdu Palace for him.

(There is one more chapter in the evening. It’s the last day, don’t waste your tickets.)
(End of this chapter)